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How to Donate Cardboard Boxes

By Tara Green ; Updated October 04, 2017

Don't store your cardboard boxes, instead donate them so they will be reused.

Cardboard boxes become a valuable commodity when you move, but afterward, they simply take up space and accumulate dust. Once you have unpacked, donate your cardboard boxes so someone else can use them or so a charitable organization can resell them to raise funds. This kind of donation both frees up valuable storage space in your home while helping someone else.

Check the condition of your cardboard boxes thoroughly. Make sure they are not damp and are still sturdy enough to hold things. Look to make sure they have no rips or tears. If they have been sitting in the garage or attic for a while, shake them off and brush them lightly with a rag to clean off any dust or spiders.

Flatten the boxes so they can be transported more easily. Use a box cutter to slice through any tape that holds the boxes in shape. Fold the flattened boxes neatly. If you have several boxes, you may want to stack them according to size, keeping large, medium and small boxes in separate piles.

Use twine to tie your bundles of differently sized boxes together. Stack the piles neatly in a clean, dry area where they will not come into contact with pets, food or oil.

Research where you can donate boxes in your area. Sometimes a local charity will collect cardboard boxes which they then resell in order to raise funds. Also, some non-profit organizations will use boxes to aid low-income people who are moving.

Offer your used boxes to whoever needs them via a free listing on Craigslist or through your local Freecycle group. You can also offer the boxes to a shipping and mailing business in your vicinity. By recycling your boxes, you help save trees and water.

Items you will need

Box cutter

Twine

Tip

You can also recycle cardboard in a variety of other ways. If your boxes are not in good enough shape to donate, you can cut them up and put them in your compost bin, use them in the garden as mulch to control weeds or shred them for use as pet bedding. Crafters can often find many other uses for good condition cardboard boxes.